This stream provides grants for planning and pre-construction work on kindergarten building projects that support the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten across Victoria.

This stream provides grants for planning and pre-construction work on kindergarten building projects that support the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten across Victoria.

This might include designing, developing the scope or calculating construction costs of the project.

This grant is for applicants who will be applying for a Building Blocks – Capacity Building grant once planning is complete.

Eligible organisations may apply for one grant of up to $150,000.

The Planning Grant stream offers additional support by covering the cost of design and the pre-construction planning involved in building projects.

A Planning Grant means you can:

• plan a project, or pipeline of projects, to help provide the kindergarten places needed to meet demand for the roll-out of Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten and/or Pre-Prep
• better prepare applications for Building Blocks grants that will help deliver your projects.

Being awarded a Planning Grant is not a pre-requisite to apply for other Building Blocks grants.

Funding

Eligible organisations can apply for up to $150,000 (GST exclusive).

Co-contributions are not required but are allowed.

Planning grants must:

• be completed within 12 months of Common Funding Agreement (CFA) execution. This means that successful planning grant applicants have 12 months to complete their infrastructure planning processes, including identifying projects to apply for a Building Blocks construction grant.
• be used to plan for a project located in Victoria that is, or will be, licensed to provide a funded Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program, and must offer, or intend to offer, both programs. This can be sessional or integrated with long day care.
• demonstrate how the proposed project(s) will create additional kindergarten capacity, or maintain service continuity of existing capacity, in line with the demand of Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten, and/or Pre-Prep, at a community and local government level. Projects should align to demand, as identified in the relevant KISP or demonstrate alignment with supporting the roll-out of Pre-Prep.

What can be funded?

• project management costs
• planning and design costs, such as:
  • quantity surveyor fees and reports
  • architect and design
  • geo technical services
  • feasibility studies
  • town planning consultants
  • planning permits
  • soil contamination reports
  • asbestos reports
  • environmental sustainability assessments for energy and or water efficiency, e.g. NABERS and NatHERS
• planning and design project costs relating to capacity building projects, or projects required to maintain existing capacity
• planning for multi-staged projects
• staff salaries and training for staff involved in working on the proposed kindergarten infrastructure planning project (note: funding is one-off and does not cover on-going appointment)
• local design feasibility study (assessing multiple sites to determine opportunities and cost to meeting unmet demand)

Who can apply?

Your organisation can apply if it is:

• a Victorian local government (council)
• a not-for-profit community organisation that is a legal entity (for example an incorporated association, incorporated cooperative or Indigenous corporation)
• a Victorian government school
• a Victorian non-government school registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority or Catholic Education Commission of Victoria.

For-profit organisations cannot apply for any grant streams within Building Blocks.

What cannot be funded?

• costs already incurred
• site preparation, including clearing or demolition (these may be funded by a subsequent Building Block Grant)
• construction and commissioning (these may be funded by a subsequent Building Blocks Grant)
• landscaping and car parking (these may be funded by a subsequent Building Blocks Grant)
• site acquisition and lease costs
• ongoing administration or operational costs

Exclusions

The Building Blocks Planning Grant program will not fund planning for projects that:

• do not address unmet demand as identified in the relevant KISP
• do not intend to create additional capacity or maintain existing kindergarten capacity required for the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and/or Pre Prep
• are not for facilities that offer, or intend to offer, both Three and Four-Year-Old funded Kindergarten/Pre Prep programs
• are intended to be located outside Victoria
• do not align with the program objectives
• do not meet the requirements outlined in these guidelines
• do not meet the assessment criteria
• have already been invoiced or paid.

• Phone: (03) 7022 0850
• Email: building.blocks@education.vic.gov.au